Alabama's star running back can dip, dodge and outrun all the inquiries, but it won't stop a relentless blitz on his thoughts as he chases college football's ultimate individual accolade.

What would a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game be without star power? What would the Game of the Century be without Heisman-caliber stars?

Richardson won't be the only Heisman hopeful on the field Saturday night when top-ranked LSU visits the No. 2 Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

One of those 11 Tigers he'll attempt to shake loose is LSU cornerback Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu, a rare talent on defense who has created national buzz because of his affinity for disruptive, game-changing plays -- specifically forcing turnovers.

Mathieu has 29 tackles, a sack, 5 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions and a quarterback hurry. Two of those fumble recoveries were returned for scores.

Arguably his two best efforts came in LSU's two biggest games.

In the season-opening 40-27 win over Oregon, he collected 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pair of pass breakups. In a 47-21 win at West Virginia, he had 6 tackles (5 solo), an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.

He was one of three suspended players who missed a 45-10 win over Auburn on Oct. 22 for violating the team's drug policy. They returned to practice last week, and Tigers coach Les Miles said all three are preparing to play Saturday night.

"He's a tremendous player," Richardson said. "He's got a nose for the ball. He's the playmaker. You can't taking nothing from him."

But Richardson & Co. know he can take plenty away from the Crimson Tide.

Protecting the football has been a hallmark for Alabama running backs in recent years.

Richardson has lost only one fumble in 487 career touches, a turnover at Ole Miss as a freshman in 2009. He has had 423 consecutive touches without a lost fumble.

The Crimson Tide's rotating running back system has lost just seven fumbles in five years under running backs coach Burton Burns.

"He's real big on it," Richardson said. "From a running back standpoint, you should be big on that yourself. ... Nowadays, he doesn't have to remind us as much as he did last year, but that's one thing he does emphasize.

"I just try to hit them before they even try to get to me or try to come up and strip the ball. It doesn't matter what size (they) are. I'm strong. I'm pretty sure they're strong. But I don't feel like any man on a team will outman me stripping the ball."

Richardson's first Heisman test was hyped as his Florida homecoming in a 38-10 win over the Gators on Oct. 1. With the weight of a primetime television audience, Richardson entered that game against the nation's fifth-ranked rushing defense at the time before shredding the Gators with a career high 29 carries and 181 yards including two touchdowns.

Richardson was asked if this is another Heisman test? (ep)

"It could be," Richardson said, "but I don't buy into that stuff."

Alabama coach Nick Saban cautioned that Mathieu, who he referenced as No. 7, is not the lone threat on the nation's fourth-best defense. The Tigers are second in the nation in turnover margin (1.88) with 11 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries.

"It's not going to be just about him," Saban said. "Everyone's going to have to be focused on doing their job well for Trent Richardson to be able to do the things that we would like for him to do in the running game as well as the passing game."

Richardson said he has added motivation after he was knocked out of last year's 24-21 loss at LSU on a touchdown run in the first quarter. He said he suffered a slightly torn MCL and a shredded abdominal muscle in the loss.

"This game means a lot to me because I didn't get to play in it last year except for about one quarter," Richardson said. "So I really can't wait to showcase what a healthy Trent can do in this game."

Crimson Tide center William Vlachos said he hasn't seen anything different about Richardson with something to prove.

"Every time in practice he gets the ball, it's like his last time he's going to get it," Vlachos said. "That's the way he practices and I think that's what separates him from a lot of other talented backs. A lot of backs have the same ingredients -- vision, strength, power, instincts, all that type of stuff. And he's got that certainly, but the way he works day in and day out I think is what separates him."